by Dr. David Sanders
What are the main threads that are woven together to form the cloth we call Kabbalah Experience? Posing the question in that manner already reveals a first thread—mastering the use of metaphor. The lens through which the early Kabbalists viewed sacred text was to move from the literal to the metaphoric meaning—turning text into context. The very first teaching we impart in the Soul class is that the word Kabbalah itself means parallel. And what is a metaphor if not the parallel to the literal understanding. This thread has been woven through many of our courses in which we examine both personal and communal narratives, the why behind the story.
A second thread is the holding of opposites, an awareness practice at the core of the Tree of Life. In a weaving metaphor, it’s all about the “negotiation” between two opposing forces which create a new, stronger structure in a unified, harmonious whole. We encounter this thread in our exploration of light and darkness, in seeing ourselves in the mirror of the other and in our struggle to truly forgive.
A third thread is the interconnectedness of all of existence. Nothing is in and of itself, all, including us humans, is woven together in a world wide web of relationship. Kabbalah, other mystical traditions, and quantum physics entreat us to embrace the cycle of “run and return”, the movement from nothing to something and back to nothing and in that state of being we arrive in the present moment. This awareness is the meditative mantra we start classes with: D’layt Atar Panu-ee Me-nay-There is no place empty of You.
A fourth thread is what science refers to the mystery of consciousness. Kabbalah and other mystical paths have different names for what they refer to as the soul. In our study, we become conversant with the five levels of soul: Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Chaya and Yechida and explore these dimensions in relation to our dreams, past lives, the masks we wear, and our freedom to choose.
A fifth thread is the thread that binds all the other threads together, the thread of gratitude. We are so grateful to have grown together, to have supported and lifted each other up though times of peace and war, health and illness, life and death. Tikkun Olam, the repair of brokenness is nurtured by the gratitude we have for the life we have been gifted. Paying it forward is the resulting flow of sharing that gift to engender that spirit of gratitude in others.
One month from now we will gather to honor Melanie Gruenwald for her leadership of Kabbalah Experience these past seven years. Melanie chose as the theme for our annual event on April 19th The Mask Experience. A call went out for artists to express themselves on a blank mask canvas. Melanie wrote about the masks they created (on view on-line and at Stanley Marketplace): “Their work reminds us that wisdom doesn’t live only in texts, but in creative expression that reveals who we are, who we are becoming, and how a community learns to see itself more clearly over time.”
With gratitude for the participating mask artists, our generous sponsors and all who have grown with us over the past decades, we will celebrate Melanie as she and her family take the threads of Kabbalah Experience to another community and help weave them into the tapestry that awaits them.
Please join us on April 19 for The Mask Experience.
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